In the 72 hours after Carolina lost at NC State on Saturday night, there
was a lot of talk about diving on the floor. P.J. Hairston didn't do it in a
key second half situation against the Wolfpack, and Roy Williams singled that
play out as a key factor in limiting the sophomore's minutes in Raleigh.

It took
only five minutes into Tuesday's road trip to Boston College for the Tar Heels
to stop talking about getting on the floor--and start doing it. With the Eagles
starting uncharacteristically hot from the floor and building an 8-2 lead, it
was--of course--Hairston who first trimmed the UNC deficit with a three-pointer.

Then, on
the next Carolina possession, both Hairston and James Michael McAdoo picked up
floor burns chasing a loose ball. It was Hairston who got on the floor first,
sending the ball caroming into the backcourt. Boston College's Patrick Heckmann
had the better angle and the inside lane to the ball, but James Michael McAdoo
had the advantage of two days of practice spent hearing his head coach preach
the value of playing with constant effort.

McAdoo
first used his speed to close the gap, then threw himself on the floor to
ensure he'd beat Heckmann to the ball. After retaining possession, the trip
ended with Hairston nailing another three-pointer.

"In my
opinion, his dive on the floor was the most spectacular play of the game," Williams said at his radio show Wednesday night. "It could've been a layup for
them, and on the other end we got a three-pointer. That's the sense of urgency
we've needed all along."

His
teammates noticed. At the next dead ball, McAdoo was greeted by Desmond Hubert,
who was shouting, "Yeah, Mac! That's what I'm talking about! Way to start us
off!"

"That play brought the energy,"
Hubert said after the game. "Lately, Jackson (Simmons) has been the only person
on our team really diving for balls like that. For Mac to stretch out like
that, when it wasn't like the ball was even that close to him, it pumped us up."

When
Carolina had completed the 82-70 win, and McAdoo had earned his third
double-double in the past four games (17 points and 10 rebounds), the big
sophomore immediately knew the play even before it was referenced to him.

"That play
was the attitude every player on this team has to have," said McAdoo, who has
been more vocal about wanting to assume a leadership role since the loss at
State. "It's something Coach looks for in his players, because he wants us to
do whatever it takes to help the team win. It's a winning play. And in the back
of my head, I was actually thinking, 'This is something Coach wants us to do.'"

As Williams
reviewed the stat sheet in the immediate aftermath of the win, he stopped on
McAdoo's line of 17 and 10. "Where's James Michael?" the head coach asked from
across the room. He caught the sophomore's eye. "17 and 10, big fella!"
Williams said with a grin.

Of course,
the head coach also found ways to prod McAdoo to get better. McAdoo took a
career-high tying 20 shots, making just seven. He hasn't made more than 50
percent of his field goal attempts since going 7-for-9 against UAB on Dec. 1, a
stretch of 12 games. Over that same dozen-game stretch, he's shooting just
41.3% from the field, a considerable drop from the 49.5% he shot in the first
eight games of the season.

"We've got
to get James Michael to shoot a higher percentage," Williams said. "I asked him
if he needed an ice pack."

McAdoo
initially thought the head coach was referencing his bruise-risking dive for
the ball. Williams clarified he intended the ice pack for McAdoo's elbow, which
had just fired 20 shots.

But it's
also worth noting that McAdoo has elevated his activity in every area-not just
shooting-since the Tar Heels began conference play. He's grabbing a rebound every 3.5 minutes
played, easily the best figure on the team. He's taking 6.1 free throws per
game, up from 3.7 attempts per game in nonconference games. He's also limited
his turnovers, decreasing from over three per game against non-ACC foes to two
per game during the league schedule.

And despite
all that, the play that earned him the most praise in the win over the Eagles
was his recovery of a loose ball, something that doesn't appear on the stat
sheet at all.

"I felt
that I lacked the mindset of working and acting like a leader at the beginning
of the season," McAdoo said. "It's a learning curve, and I'm trying to focus in
on playing that way right now."